Can Paintballs be Frozen – Everything You Need to Know!

Paintball is a very fun sport to play with your friends and family. Whenever you fire a paintball from a paintball gun, they tends to fly straight and make a bright mark once they hit the target. It is very important to understand the structure of the paintballs once they freeze, the types of paintball calibers, and how to properly store the paintballs.

Can Paintballs be Frozen

The short answer is yes paintballs can be frozen. Just remember that once frozen, they tend to lose their shape making them unusable for a game of paintball.

What Happens When You Freeze Paintballs?

Many paintballs on the market are:

• Biodegradable
• Water-soluble
• Non-toxic

You should also keep in mind that some manufacturers use ingredients that make their paintballs frost resistant, which means they are extremely hard to freeze or become brittle when exposed to cold environments.

If you attempt to freeze your paintballs in a refrigerator it will cause them to lose some of their properties which isn’t a good idea. The downside of frozen paintballs is that they become brittle and usually break apart once fired from a gun.

With that said, if you still want to experience frozen paintballs, then what you could do is freeze them by putting them in a freezer or liquid nitrogen. By doing this you can expect the paintballs to become frozen solid, they would also lose their shape and will not fly straight when shot.

Playing With Frozen Paintballs

If you’ve freeze your paintballs in a freezer or liquid nitrogen, then the drawback is that you won’t be able to play any paintball because they would have thawed by then.

Another thing is that the shells of the frozen paintballs break so easily. In addition, it’s very challenging for frozen paintballs to get out of the end of a barrel. So if anyone should consider shooting you with a frozen paintballs, there are two things that’s likely to happen:

• It will hit, but you won’t necessarily feel the impact
• It will not hit you

How to Choose the Perfect Paintball Caliber

If you’re planning on buying a new paintball caliber, it is very important to know the right type for you. There are two common types of paintball calibers on the market:

1. .68 caliber
2. .50 caliber

The type you choose to work with is mainly determined by:

• The type of paintball game you are planning on playing
• The cost

Paintball Caliber Option

Paintball comes in multiple sizes including the .68 caliber and .50 caliber. The paintball caliber is its diameter, which determines its size.

.68 caliber is well known to be the most common size while the .50 caliber is a bit on the smaller end. However, there are many different paintball calibers available including:

• .40
• .43
• .50
• .62

In terms of low impact games many people prefer using the .50 caliber. If you’re a newbie just starting out, the best option is to invest in a paintball caliber that is right for you.

Even though you might be an advanced paintball player you might not have known there are various types of paintball sizes to choose from. If you mistakenly bought the wrong size paintballs, try your best to get a replacement or sell them back to another player and buy the correct ones instead. Alternatively, you can get yourself a conversion kit to modify your paintball guns into the size you want.

.68 Caliber Paintballs

The .68 caliber paintball is considered to be the standard size and is the paintballs that most players prefer. This paintball is known to be very versatile and can use for many different games and field styles.

The .68 caliber paintballs is also very popular and this is due to its high velocity and splat when it hits the target. Even though the. 68 caliber is common, it does have a few drawbacks.

.68 caliber paintballs, including their guns tends to be a lot heavier compare to the smaller caliber paintballs. This means that you are unable to get many .68 caliber rounds into the hopper

Another is that due to the fact that the .68 caliber paintball is larger compared to the others, it hurts more when it hits. If you are a beginner the pain can be troublesome but it is apart of the game. Over time you will certainly get use to the pain.

If you are still being bothered by the pain that comes with the sport, you should consider switching to laser tag. It isn’t has tactical as paintball but it is still fun.

.50 Caliber Paintball

The .50 caliber paintball is becoming very popular these days and there are good reasons behind this. These paintballs are also known as low impact, the .50 caliber paintballs are great for:

• Beginners
• Adult outings
• Indoor playfields
• Casual game for kids
• Corporate outings

We strongly recommend the .50 caliber paintballs for players who just want to enjoy the game of paintball without having to worry about experiencing any pain. Even advanced paintball players use the .50 caliber at times for particular games. The reason these paintballs doesn’t hurt is because they are only half inch diameter. The biggest downsides is that you won’t experience the same velocity or distance as the .68 caliber.

The size of the .50 is so small you don’t have to worry about it breaking on impact. However, there is an advantage to this:

• You will have the ability to load more balls in the gun
• You do not need to reload the marker frequently

The .50 caliber paintball is the perfect size for scenario games as well as woodsball. These paintballs are so effective they are capable of shooting through thick bush, which is very difficult to achieve with larger paintballs.

Cost of the Paintballs

The .50 caliber paintball is on the cheap side, it is much cheaper compared to the .68 caliber paintball. The .50 caliber gun and paintballs are widely known to be less expensive than the .68 caliber gun and paintballs.

Due to the fact that you get higher volume and more shots with the .50 caliber paintballs make it a cost-effective option for paintball games. However, if you’re playing tournaments or planning on taking your game to the next level, the .68 caliber paintball would be the ideal choice.

How to Properly Store Paintballs

One of the most important thing you can do right now is store your paintball at room temperature and keep them dry, preferably in the sealed bags you bought them in. Don’t let paintballs get much hotter than room temperature or they’ll begin to stick together, while cold on the other hand will make paintballs much more brittle. Paintballs must be properly stored to last you until your next game and to perform properly.

Storage Environment

Even though paintballs are known to be biodegradable, it doesn’t mean that you should put them in a freezer so that you can use them at a later time. What you should do is read the manufacturer’s instructions manual so that you can have a better understanding on how to store your paintballs.

As mentioned earlier, the best place is to store your paintball in a dry place at room temperature. Improper storage of the paintball may cause lots of issues including:

• Broken balls meaning that when fired the paintballs won’t fly straight
• Bouncy paintballs that won’t break upon impact
• High temperature may cause the paintballs to stick together

Although these problems won’t necessarily render the paintballs, I can guarantee that they will at least affect the effectiveness. Therefore, the right thing to do is store your paintballs correctly.

Aging of the Paintballs

You should definitely keep in mind that paintballs tends to age at different rate depending on the manufacturer. Some paintballs remain bouncy and in great condition for a long period of time while others become brittle after a few months.

Another thing you’ll certainly notice is that some paintballs begins to swell and will not fit into the firing chamber of the marker. It is essential to keep the paintballs in a cool and dry place.

Do not store the paintballs:

• Near the radiator
• In the trunk of a car
• In a closet
• Out in the sun

Does Frozen Paintballs Hurt

The fact that these paintballs are frozen makes them unable to shot from a paintball gun. It’s very rare that a frozen paintball is fired from a gun, if it does it will most likely disintegrate after being fired. Even if a frozen paintballs hit its target, it is not likely to hurt.

However, being hit by a standard paintball will definitely hurt especially for those who are new to the sport. There are several factors that will determine the level of pain the paintball will caused once it hit you:

• One of the most important factor is the speed of the paintball
• The area of the body that was hit
• The range or distance between the gun and target
• The amount of safety gear you are wearing at the time

Conclusion

We don’t think freezing paintballs is a good idea as it does not improve its accuracy or speed. Another thing is that it’s very rare to find a frozen paintball that is capable of firing. Even if it does fire, it will not fly straight or cause any pain when hits the target.

Related Guide:

• Is Paintball Safe During Pregnancy